By THE BAKERSFIELD CALIFORNIAN

Lead stories from "First Look with Scott Cox's" Big 6:

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE: Gay and lesbian couples are flocking to city halls and county courthouses across California -- including right here in Kern County -- to wed as same-sex marriages resumed across the state following a five-year legal hiatus. Monday was the first chance for all but a handful of the state's same-sex couples to wed since 2008, when about 18,000 marriages went forward during a brief legal window before a voter-approved ban. Kern County issued it's first same-sex marriage license about 8:30 a.m. Monday. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to rule on the constitutional merits of that ban. Read the full story.

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STABBING: Bakersfield police have arrested a woman wanted in connection with stabbing a female juvenile last week. Twenty-seven-year old Kyla Labat turned herself in at the Bakersfield Police Department Headquarters Monday and was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. The victim suffered minor injuries. Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to call the BPD. Read the full story.

SCAM: Bakersfield police have made an arrest regarding a Craigslist scam involving Cal State Bakersfield. The month-long investigation led to the arrest of 28-year old Tope Jelugbo on suspicion of forgery, identity theft, using a computer to commit a crime, business burglary and forging checks. Police say Jelugbo posted ads on Craigslist posing as a student at CSUB and seeking a room for rent. Anyone with information regarding this incident or who has been a victim of this scam is asked to call the Bakersfield Police Department. Read the full story.

FATALITY: A Ridgecrest woman is killed after her car plunges off a mountain road. Authorities say it happened sometime Sunday near Porterville on Mountain Road 109, south of Road 56. The victim was driving southbound when for unknown reasons her 2012 Toyota left the roadway and went into a 300 foot ravine, rolling several times. The 47-year-old woman was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. Her name has not been released, pending notification of family. Read the full story.

CHECKPOINT : More arrests after a Bakersfield checkpoint. Police conducted a DUI/driver's license checkpoint from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday in the 1400 block of Union Avenue. Officers made six DUI arrests, 38 drivers didn't have a valid driver's license, 17 had a suspended license and 40 vehicles were impounded. One person was arrested for having three felony warrants for various charges. The checkpoint was held in an effort to reduce the number of people injured or killed each year in DUI-related crashes. The public is asked to help keep roadways safe by calling 911 if they see a suspected impaired driver. Read the full story.

COOLING CENTERS: Kern County's designated cooling centers are up and running due to an oppressive heat wave. John Cove of the Parks and Recreation Department says they're already getting a lot more use than they did last summer. The 12 cooling centers are open from one to 8 p.m. when the next day's forecast calls for a certain amount of heat. To find out if they're open, and where they're located, call 868-7000 or "Google" Kern County Cooling Centers. Read the full story.

WHAT'S TRENDING ON BAKERSFIELD.COM

In case you missed it, here are the stories that are trending across bakersfield.com.

CRAIGSLIST SCAM SUSPECT ARRESTED: Bakersfield police have made an arrest regarding a Craigslist scam involving Cal State Bakersfield. Bakersfield Police say the month-long investigation led to the arrest of 28-year-old Tope Onosohare Jelugbo on suspicion of forgery, identity theft, using a computer to commit a crime, business burglary and forging checks. Jelugbo posted ads on Craigslist posing as a student at CSUB and seeking a room for rent. Anyone with information regarding this incident or who has been a victim of this scam is asked to call the Bakersfield Police Department at 327-7111 or Detective Damacio Diaz at 326-3858 or Detective Blaine Craig at 326-3541. Read the full story.

SAME-SEX MARRIAGES RESUME IN KERN COUNTY: Same-sex marriages were back on Monday morning in Kern County, as well as throughout the state. Erica Vargas and Litcatzin Yoakum's eyes ran with tears as Lori Renee spoke about the recognition that marriage would bring to the bond that already exists between them. "I can't wait to spend our lives together, grow old together and raise these crazy kids together," Vargas told her wife as their daughters -- toting roses -- surrounded them. Temperatures in the courtyard outside the Kern County Clerk's office were already soaring up through the 80s on Monday morning as a stream of couples came out two-by-two from the clerk's offices with marriage licenses in hand. A swarm of local media circled around the couples as a collection of clergy, supporters, family and friends prepared to celebrate. Vargas and Yoakum were the first to be married in Kern County on Monday as same-sex weddings resumed after a four-and-a-half-year ban imposed by the passage of the passage of Proposition 8 in November 2008. Read the full story.

DRIVER KILLED WHEN VEHICLE PLUNGES DOWN RAVINE: A motorist driving south on Mountain Road 109 south of Mountain Road 56 in the Porterville area died after traveling off the roadway and down a 300-foot ravine. The California Highway Patrol says the 47-year-old Ridgecrest driver's name isn't being released pending notification of next of kin. The driver's vehicle rolled over several times down the ravine, according to the CHP. She was wearing a seat belt and the vehicle's air bags deployed. Read the full story.

DUI ARRESTS MADE AT CHECKPOINT: Bakersfield police conducted a DUI/driver's license checkpoint from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday in the 1400 block of Union Avenue. Officers made six DUI arrests, 38 drivers didn't have a valid driver's license, 17 had a suspended license and 40 vehicles were impounded. One person was arrested for having three felony warrants for various charges. The checkpoint was held in an effort to reduce the number of people injured or killed each year in DUI-related crashes. The public is asked to help keep roadways safe by calling 911 if they see a suspected impaired driver. Read the full story.

DEMOCRATS TAKE ISSUE WITH VIDAK'S PAPERWORK: Some of the business interests that farmer Andy Vidak has spoken about in debates or that are listed on his website were not disclosed on forms that candidates are required to file. Vidak, a cherry farmer and Republican from Hanford, is running in a hotly contested and closely watched race for the 16th State Senate District against Bakersfield Democrat Leticia Perez. Vidak's Statement of Economic Interest fails to disclose financial information about two of his three reported businesses. VIdak did not respond to repeated requests from The Californian for comment. Read the full story,

THE ENERGY REPORT

THE SOUNDS OF FRACKING: Bloomberg reported Monday that Halliburton is one of the leading companies when it comes to utilizing sound for use in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Using technology developed for the U.S. Navy, engineers are recording the sound of fracking in hopes of improving the extraction of oil and gas deep underground. Bloomberg says Halliburton is cataloging sounds that "hopefully" indicate the perfect frack, or when oil or gas begin seeping into the bore well. All of this is part of the huge, expensive and multi-faceted technological effort to extract oil deep beneath the earth's surface. Read the full story.

THE TECH REPORT

3D CASTS: You break your arm. You get a big plaster cast. Your friends sign it and draw on it. You invest in chopsticks in an attempt to get at the never-ending itches hiding beneath. Not anymore. Cortex exoskeletal cast concept uses 3D printing to create a custom cast that is strong, lightweight, and full of air holes. The concept would work by having the patient's arm X-rayed and 3D-scanned. Each cast would be individualized to provide more support at the site of the injury. Completed, it looks like a futuristic lace pattern that would hold up to showering and be fully recyclable once removed. The cast is just a concept at this point, but considering how the medical world has embraced the use of 3D printers, it may not be too far off from becoming reality.

ZYNGA: Shares of Zynga today closed up more than 10 percent Monday on news that founder Mark Pincus would step down as CEO. Zynga said that Don Mattrick, who led Microsoft's Xbox business for the past three years, will take the top job at the struggling online games giant. Pincus will remain as chairman and chief product officer. The blow to Microsoft's executive ranks comes as Zynga continues to face flagging user interest for its social games. Mattrick has been the executive behind such hit titles as Need for Speed, FIFA and The Sims. Before Microsoft, he was president of worldwide studios for Electronic Arts.

THE HEALTH REPORT

ATV INJURIES: Nonfatal all-terrain vehicle injuries among children and teens has dropped according to a new CDC report. In 2010 ATV injury rates for juveniles declined 37 percent. This is in contrast to the 34 percent spike between 2001 and 2004. It is not clear if ATV use among children and teens is declining, but study authors note that the economic downturn starting in the mid-2000s is known to have reduced driving rates and driving-related injuries among teens, and sales of new all-terrain vehicles also declined. The Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends that children under the age of 16 ride only ATVs designed for them, and avoid riding adult-sized vehicles. The group also recommends wearing a helmet at all times, never riding ATVs on paved roads, and never carrying or riding as a passenger unless the ATV is designed for that purpose.

TUBES IN EARS: The most common outpatient surgery in children is putting tubes in their ears, but both parents and doctors have questioned if it's always the right thing to do. As the result the American Academy of Head and Neck Surgeons has issued the first guidelines on ear tubes. The new guidelines say that candidates for tubes include children with frequent ear infections and fluid that doesn't clear up for at least three months, as well as kids with other symptoms such as hearing loss, balance problems and poor school performance. The tiny tubes are placed in the eardrum to drain fluid from the middle ear. The idea is to reduce the risk of repeat ear infections and hearing loss. About 7 percent of children have tubes by age 3.

THE SPORTS REPORT

RYAN MATTHEWS: San Diego Chargers running back Ryan Mathews, a West High graduate, was not arrested Sunday night, contrary to reports connecting him to a fight outside a San Diego nightclub. San Diego police told newspaper UT San Diego on Monday morning that Mathews was not arrested nor stopped by police. Police did confirm there was a fight around 8:30 p.m. outside Side Bar, located in San Diego's Gaslamp district. Two websites, however, reported Mathews had been arrested and that story was picked up by Sports Illustrated's website. Except it wasn't true, police said. Mathews took to his Twitter account to clear his name. "Home healthy and happy! Don't know how my name got in this but I'm good!" Read the full story.

CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD OFFICIALLY JOINS WAC: CSUB officially joined the Western Athletic Conference on Monday (July 1 is the day that NCAA conference realignments become official), along with five other institutions in the new-look conference. CSUB had been a Division I independent since beginning the move from NCAA Division II status in the fall of 2007. Also officially joining the WAC on Monday were Chicago State, Texas-Pan American, Missouri-Kansas City, Utah Valley and Grand Canyon University, a former Division II rival of CSUB's in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. Read the full story.

BLAZE LOSE AT LANCASTER: The JetHawks scored five runs in their final two at-bats to beat the Bakersfield Blaze, 8-5 in Monday's California League game. Ryan Wright and Juan Silva each homered to help the Blaze to an early 4-3 lead. Read the full story.

The body of a large paddle-tailed rodent was found early Tuesday in the traffic lanes of southbound Mohawk Street north of Truxtun Avenue, suggesting Bakersfield's fabled bike path beaver -- scourge of local saplings -- may have died.

The lush grasses and sweeps of wildflowers cloak much of the damage to the small canyon in a blanket of ephemeral green. But Ellen Cypher and Erin Tennant can see it as they walk along a sandy route that has been churned into the bottom of the wash by motorcyclists and quad riders.

Californian columnist Lois Henry's discussion about fireworks Wednesday on "First Look with Scott Cox" was as explosive as a firework itself. She didn't hold anything back as she described the Kern County Supervisor's decision Tuesday to continue allowing Piccolos and ground flowers to be sold in...